Sewing machine table board



April 15, 1947.

J. W. FlTE ET AL.

SEWING MACHINE TABLE BOARD Filed May 50, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l 1 April 15, 1947. J ET AL 2,419,064

NE'TABLE BOARD F lled May :50, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTUHNE'Y Patented Apr. 15, 1947 s 2,419,064

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,419,064 SEWING MACHINE TABLE BOARD John W. Fitc and Patrick M. French, Nashville, Tenn., assignors to Union Special Machine Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application May 30, 1944, Serial No. 538,050 Claims. (Cl. 311-42) This invention relates to table boards and more Suitable woods for manufacturing hardwood particularly to a table board for sewing machines. table boards for sewing machines are becoming This invention has for one of its principal obscarcer and more difiicult to secure. Also, these jects the provision of a table board having cerwoods are quite expensive as compared to softer tain characteristics which make it exceptionally 5 woods which are readily available on the market. well suited for use with various types of sewing While hard Woods ere capable of withstanding machines. a certain amount of abuse, theydo oftentimes be- An important object of the invention is to pro- Come roughened by arp impacts and may in vide a simple, rigid and relatively light-weight m p s n ma a a t at will se s a sewing machine table board that is considerably 1'0 i s f materials in the Course Of Sewing p stronger and more durable than corresponding tions. Additionally, hard wood table boards are present day wood type table boards, thereby relatively heavy as Compared t Softer O forming a more solid. support for sewing maboards and, further, possess only limited strength chines, per unit cross-section area.

Another object of the invention is to provide Sewing machine table boards fabricated in aca table board for sewing machines, which board cordance with our instant invention possess a is relatively less expensive in initial and maintenumber of distinct advantages over correspondnance costs than usual all-wood boards now eming wood-type table boards heretofore employed. ployed for the same purpose, The table board of our invention includes a base It is another object of this invention to prothat y be made f One 0 mo e a y vide a sewing machin tabl b ard possessing imexpensive woods. It is to be understood that the proved wearing properties over extended periods term wood, when used herein to denote the of se, v base of our table board, contemplates various A further object of the invention is to provide solid and/or pressed woods. The base is prefera table board of th ch racte indi ated which ably laminated in construction and consists of a is impervious to moisture and oil and which is p li y f s rips of wo d of suitable width and not affected by climatic conditions or by changes thickness, arranged in side abuttin r ion an in climatic conditions, glued together so as to form a planar unitary A still further object of the invention is to tu avin su st t a y pa l upp a d provide a, sewing chin t b1 b d tunder surfaces. A sheet of a suitable plastic is ing working surfaces that will not cause snagplaced 011 at least the p Surface and at t me ging of material passing thereover and that is n all a s. W have found that a thermo not disagreeable to the sense of touch, said work- Setting phenolic resin p c 0f t e c ass coming surfaces being smooth and readily cleanable. prising p n n products are p i ly Wooden table boards have been and stili ar well suited to accomplish the objects of this inbeing used quite extensively to support sewing i These Products are Well own to the machin and th materials that r ew by art and are made from phenol formaldehyde and said machines. These table boards are generally natural or synthetic fibers including pap W006i, made of a hard wood, such as hard maple, espe- Cotton, glass and asbestos, P p fibers being D cially when used in factories and other shops ferred and recommended One plastic Of this which manufacture clothing and the like on a Class h c as en used With highly satisfaccommercial scale. Such boards, as a rule, have tory results is known to the industry under the their working surfaces covered by a suitable paint el and is manufactured y or enamel. Experience has shown that it is exthe Formica Insulation Company, having an tremely difficult to finish a hard wood table board fice at Cin nnati, Ohio. The plastic is manuso that it does not glare. Moreover, it has been factured in sheet form. A sheet of the plastic ascertained that the usual finish, be it a paint, material is placed p n h rf c to be covered enamel or the like, soon wears off, leaving poror veneered with a film of a suitable cold glue tions of the wood exposed which is highly uninterposed therebetween. Pressure is applied to desirable for the reason that the wood will abthe plastic and the wood base for a sulhcient sorb any oil coming in contact therewith and period of time toobtain proper adherence bestain or ruin delicate and/or expensive fabrics tween the materials. Necessary openings through passing thereover. In order to properly mainthe plastic and the base are provided to receive tain present day wooden table boards, it is necesthe sewing machine and/or belting or other items sary to refinish and/or repaint them periodically. of equipment associated with the sewing machine.

All exposed wood surfaces are coated with an oil impervious material, aluminum paint being recommended. All joints in the plastic and material are made fluid-tight so as to prevent oil seepage to the wood portions of the completed board.

The plastic surface or surfaces of our table boards may be of any desired color and present a smooth, satiny finish of a character which minimizes light reflection and attendant glare. The danger of snagging fabrics passing over our table boards is completely eliminated. We find that boards constructed in accordance with our invention are very rigid and are stronger per unit area than the usual types of wood table boards.

One of the outstanding advantages attainable by the practice of our invention resides in the fact that these table boards are fully impervious to moisture and oil and additionally are not affected by climatic conditions or by sudden changes in climatic conditions. The possibility of warpage is obviated and the danger of the table boards becoming stained or impregnated with highly objectionable oil is fully eliminated.

The wearing qualities of our table boards are excellent. Moreover, neither the degree of smoothness nor the color of the finish is affected by wear, the plastic continuing to be substantially glare-free without regard to the extent of the wear.

We have found that our table boards for sewing machines are not unpleasant to the touch, and further, that the same are resistant to heat such as that occasioned by placing lighted cigarettes or cigars thereon.

The foregoing as well as other objects and advantages fiowing from the practice of this invention will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art by reference to the following description and annexed drawings, which respectively illustrate and described preferred embodiments of the invention, and wherein Figure 1 is an elevation view partly in crosssection and illustrating a sewing machine and associated mechanisms mounted on a table board constructed in accordance with this invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of one form of the table board of this invention;

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical cross-section view of the table board of Figure 2 taken along line 3:3; and

Figure 4 is an isometric view of a corner of the table board, in enlargement, with parts broken away.

Referring now to the drawings, the invention has been illustrated as employed with a sewing machine and auxiliary equipment f the type disclosed in N. V. Christensen et a1. Patent 2,400,741, entitled Sewing machine, granted May 21, 1946. Our table board is generally denoted by numeral l and is provided with a rectangular opening H extending therethrough and having a recess or ledge l2 formed in each corner. The sewing machine represented by numeral i3 includes a combined base and housing l4 that has an integral flange It at each end. The base is adapted to be received in opening 1 l in a manner that flanges it rest on ledges it so that the upper surface N5 of the base is substantially flush with upper surface ll of the table board. Vertical standard N3 of the sewing machine supports an over-hanging arm l9 that carries a needle head 20 at its free end. A needle bar 2i, vertically reciprocable in head 26, extends downwardly of said head and carries at its lower end a needle 4 A presser foot 23 of suitable construction is mounted at the lower end of a presser bar 24. A shaft 25 for actuating the needle bar is housed within over-hanging arm l9 and has a combined hand-wheel and pulley 26 secured thereto.

For the purpose of driving the sewing machine there may be provided beneath base 14 an elec tric motor 2'5 having associated therewith a power transmitting clutch mechanism 28 which may suitably be of the type disclosed in the above identified Christensen et a1. patent. A shaft 29, adapted to be rotated through the co-action of motor 2? and clutch mechanism 28, carries a drive pulley 353 that is rotatable therewith. A spliced type belt 3| is employed to transmit rotational energy developed in pulley 35 to combined handwheel and pulley 26 to thereby rotate shaft 25. It will be noted that belt 3| passes over handwheel and pulley 26, through an openin 32 in board it, under pulley 38 and then through a slot 33 in board iii. Means for actuating the clutch mechanism and thereby place the sewing machine in and out of service, as desired, is generally indicated by numeral 3% and is illustrated and described in detail in the aforementioned patent of Christensen et al. A blower and associated equipment for generating and transmitting a stream of air to the rotary hook (not shown) of the sewing machine is generally represented by numeral 35 and includes a conduit 36 that may be afiixed in a recess 3'! in the underside of the table board by a clamp 33 and a screw 39. The opening formed by screw 39 is indicated at it? in Figure 2. In cases where conduit 36 does not terminate in recess 31, it is still generally desirable to provide such a recess in the board. A recess of this character permits an operator to gain ready access to the bobbin from the underside of the table board when, for example, the sewing machineis 0f the horizontal hook locks-stitch type.

Turning next particularly to Figures 2, 3 and 4 for details of construction of table board it, it will be observed that the same includes a plurality of lengths of wood 4! that are preferably rectangular in cross-section and that are disposed in side abutting relation and glued or otherwise joined together to form a unitary wood base structure. At the time the base is fabricated, it is planed or finished in any other manner known to the art so that the upper and lower surfaces of each length of Wood are coplanar, thereby presenting planar upper and lower surfaces in the base. The wood, or woods, employed in constructing lengths of the desired rigidity and strength in the finished table board. It appears sufficient to point out that a relatively inexpensive, strong, light-weight base may be obtained by the form of construction indicated above.

A sheath 42 of plastic material of'the character indicated earlier herein is applied to at least the entire upper surface of the base. It is preferred and recommended, however, that the plastic material be applied to the peripheral edges and under surface of the baseyas well as under surface of the table. spread and migrate to the the board with attendant difficulties. 'Oily deedges and top of.

posits on the plastic material of this invention may, of course, be readily and completely removed. Then again, sharp impacts on the under surface of an exposed or unprotected wood base in the course of mounting or repairing the equipment disposed therebelow, may and oftentimes does damage the base. By providing a sheath of the plastic material set forth herein,v

which sheath is coextensive with the top, bottom and edge surfaces of the wood base, as depicted in the drawings, the many difficulties experienced in the past are obviated.

The plastics are manufactured in sheet form of desired thickness and applied and caused to adhere to any surface of the wood base by the use of a suitable adhesive, of which the well known cold glue, generally employed for similar purposes, is recommended. A coating of the adhesive is placed between the faces of the sheath of plastic material and of the wood base. Pressure is applied to the sheath material and the wood base for a sufficient time to obtain proper adherence between the materials. All joints formed between adjacent sections or sheets of the sheath are made fluid-tight to prevent oil and the like from passing therethrough and coming in contact with the wood base. This is accomplished by placing a suitable filler or like material at and along such joints whereby an effective seal is obtained.

Necessary openings extending through the wood base and the sheath of plastic material are provided in the finished table board. The table board depicted, in Figure 2 is provided with a rectangular opening II for reception of the sewing machine base as explained earlier. Opening 32 and slot 33 accommodate the belt, while opening 43 is adapted to receive control devices used with the sewing machine. It will be noted that the table board of Figure 2 is provided with a pair of insert members 44 forming a part of hinges that are coupled to the sewing machine base in a manner not shown.

As has been set forth above the sheath of plastic material is applied to at least the entire upper surface of the wood base. The sheath may, if desired, be made to cover the edges and/or under surface of the wood base. All exposed wood surfaces of the final table board are coated with a suitable oil impervious substance of which aluminum paint has been found to be entirely satisfactory.

While the foregoing description has been directed to a table board having an opening H adapted to receive it will be apparent that our table board may have this opening as well as certain other openings omitted when employed with various other types of sewing machines including those adapted to be positioned on top of a table board.

From the foregoing description it is believed that the construction of the table board of this invention will be readily understood by persons skilled in theart. It is to be borne in mind,

however, that various changes in the construction herein disclosed may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

We claim:

1. A table board for a sewing machine com-- prising a wood base having a substantially planar upper surface, a sheath of a plastic material coextensive with and secured in adhering relation to the upper surface of the base, at least one continuous opening extending through the base and contacting surthe base of a sewing machine,

the sheath for receiving part of the sewing machine, and a coating of an oil impervious substance on the portions of the base that are free of the plastic material.

2. A table board for a sewing machine comprising a wood base having a substantially planar upper surface, a sheath of a thermo setting plastic material comprising a phenol-laminated product, said sheath being coextensive with and secured in adhering relation to the upper surface of the base, at least one continuous opening extending through the base and the sheath for receiving part of the sewing machine, and a coating of an oil impervious substance comprising aluminum paint on the portions of the base that are free of the plastic material.

3. A table board for a sewing machine comprising a wood base having a peripheral surface and substantially planar and parallel top and bottom surfaces, a sheath of a, thermo setting plastic material coextensive with and secured in adhering relation to said surfaces of the base, at least one continuous opening extending through the sheath and base for receiving part of the sewing machine, and a coating of an oil impervious substance on the portion of the base defining said opening.

l. A. table board for a sewing machine comprising a plurality of lengths of wood disposed in side abutting relation and joined together to form a unitary base structure, the upper surfaces of said lengths of wood being substantially coplanar and constituting the upper surface of the base, a sheath of thermo setting plastic material comprising a phenol-laminated product, said sheath being coextensive with and secured in adhering relation to at least the upper surface of the base, at least one continuous opening extending through the base and the sheath for receivin part of the sewing machine, and a coating of an oil impervious substance comprising aluminum paint on the portions of the base that are free of the plastic material.

5. A table board for a sewing machine comprising a plurality of lengths of wood disposed in side abutting relation and joined together to form a unitary base structure having a peripheral surface and upper and lower surfaces that are substantially planar and parallel, a sheath of thermo setting plastic material coextensive with and secured in adhering relation to said surfaces of the base, at least one continuous opening ex tending through the sheath and base for receiving part of the sewing machine, and a coating of an oil impervious substance on the portion of the base defining said opening.

JOE-IN W. FITE. P. M. FRENCH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,249,786 Leiman Dec. 11, 1917 1,779,426 Frederick Oct. 28, 1930 2,220,868 Stein Nov. 5, 1940 2,277,752 Frey Mar. 31, 1942 1,865,011 I-Iupp June 28,1932 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 21,988 British Nov. 4,1914 

